The chances are you may never have seen him play but, at Manchester United, they are already talking about him being the most naturally talented footballer to come through their ranks since a young Paul Scholes skipped into view. His name is Ravel Morrison: 18 years old, supremely talented and tipped to be one of the pre-eminent English footballers of his generation. Morrison scored a beautiful goal to help United reach the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals last week and was in Sir Alex Ferguson's mind for a place in the squad for the FA Cup tie against Crawley, though he did not make the bench. In ordinary circumstances, it should be a time for celebration, of toasting the future in contemplation of a prodigious career and vast earning power.

Yet the Morrison story is not that simple. What United hoped would never become public knowledge is that, three weeks ago, Morrison stood in the dock of Trafford youth court, alongside two accomplices, waiting to find out if he was to be sent to a young offenders' institution.

Morrison had admitted two charges of intimidating a witness. He had subjected the victim of a knifepoint robbery to a two-day ordeal in an attempt to stop him giving evidence at the trial of his muggers. He had been warned he could face a spell in detention and, with that, United would almost certainly have given up on him. Instead, Morrison was given another chance: the judge decided on a 12-month referral order, warning him that if he did not comply he would be sentenced to a year behind bars. He was told his behaviour had been "appalling" and this was his last chance. What happens next? It is difficult to predict.

Morrison, in terms of ability, is the real deal: balance, speed, control, vision, flair, strong on either foot, an eye for a pass and a prolific scorer for a wide, left-sided player. One clip on YouTube encapsulates what he does best: a preposterous trick to bamboozle an opponent from the Blackburn youth team, incorporating a triple drag-back and a backheeled nutmeg. Let's not judge a player on internet footage, but this was a moment that would have brought Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to their feet. "Silks", as Rio Ferdinand calls it.

He has played for England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 level and made his United debut, as a substitute, in the Carling Cup tie against Wolves in October. One FA Youth Cup tie in 2008 prompted the Times to wonder "when [we] last saw such balance and daring from an English 15-year-old". The Daily Telegraph has tipped him as "a potential gem for 2014 [World Cup]." The Independent identified Morrison in a feature about 'Five Young Players to Watch in 2010.'

He is not the first young footballer to end up in court. The club's view is that the good outweighs the bad and they are determined to give Morrison the help he needs, in all parts of his life. "The club does not in any way condone Ravel's actions, but he is a very talented player with a bright future ahead of him," a spokesman said. "The right thing to do now is to support him and help him in the process of his rehabilitation."

Even so, there is a genuine concern at United that he has fallen in with the wrong crowd and is in danger of frittering away what could be a dazzling career. Two of his friends were locked up for the robbery. The court was told Morrison subjected the victim of the mugging to threatening phone calls ("you don't know what I'm capable of") over the course of two days a year ago and was among three teenagers who threatened the boy on the street. The three later appeared in the victim's front garden in the early hours. They were chased away but then came back in a mob of 15 to 20 people. A brick was thrown through the window. The victim was so traumatised his family have put the house up for sale and want to leave Manchester.

Since the verdict Ferguson and his coaching staff have spent many hours debating how to handle the teenager, and are still uncertain of what is best. There are already stories of Morrison missing training, or turning up late for matches. "There's always something going on with him," has become a popular refrain.

More seriously, his temperamental nature and apparent dislike of authority have manifested themselves on the training ground. It is said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, then the reserve-team manager, had to intervene in one incident. The teenager is described as someone who acts impulsively and does not think of the consequences, a fragile personality in need of a role model.

Morrison was born in Wythenshawe, a sprawling council estate on the southern tip of Manchester. He lives with his grandparents, Chris and Maureen Carlway, in Denton, five miles to the east of Manchester, while his mother, Sharon Ryan, still takes an active part in his life but lives in another part of the city with her two younger boys, Rio and Zeon.

Morrison has contemplated moving out, complaining that he does not like being under the watch of his grandmother, but the club would rather he stayed in the company of adults, and it is said that Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville have both offered to take him in at different points.

His friends, like many lads of 17 and 18, tend to hang around on bikes, wearing hooded tops and dark clothing. Morrison himself wore a hoodie to one court appearance. For his sentencing, he looked what he was: a teenager in Nike trainers and a tie knotted Grange Hill-style, ie as short as possible. There was no emotion when the judge told him he was being spared detention. However, Morrison seemed appalled when he was informed he had to pay costs, including £500 compensation to the victim. The court was told United's No49, described on the club's website as a "supremely gifted talent", had nothing in the bank despite receiving £3,400, after tax, on the 25th of every month, as part of the professional contract he signed when he was 17.